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Posted 26 September 2006. Crop Management. Adjust Combine Settings to Help Reduce Corn Harvest Losses Univeristy of Minnesota. www.pmn.umn.edu St. Paul, Minnesota (Sept. 12, 2006) - Adjusting combine settings and making other equipment changes can help farmers reduce harvest losses from lodged corn, say specialists with the University of Minnesota Extension Service.
Harvesting earlier before stalks deteriorate more may help reduce losses, says Dave Nicolai, Extension crops educator. However, Nicolai says the trade-off with earlier harvest of higher moisture corn can be increased by drying costs - a major factor due to high LP gas prices. The key to reducing header ear loss in down corn is to get the combine snouts under the down corn to lift the corn stalks up, according to Nicolai. Snouts should be adjusted to have the tip as low to the ground as possible. The angle of the snout relative to the ground should be at a minimum. In addition, harvesting the corn one way - and in the opposite direction the corn lodged - will help the snouts to get under and lift the corn stalk. Nicolai says snapping bars and snapping rolls may need to be adjusted slightly closer to aggressively pull through weaker than normal stalks due to lodging. Farmers may also want to consider purchasing a corn head attachment, called the "Corn Shield," says Dale Hicks, Extension agronomist. The Corn Shield helps stop ear loss along the corn head's outside rows. It also allows farmers to harvest fields at an angle to reduce harvest losses. Call the Hutchinson, Minn., based May Wes Company at (800) 657-3664 for more information on the Corn Shield. Other kinds of equipment changes may also reduce harvest losses, Hicks says. More detailed information on combine adjustments and equipment is available in Extension's Minnesota Crop eNews, at www.extension.umn.edu/cropenews. Contact: |
